RED  BOOK  1 

MEXICO  TODAY 

==^AND-.-  '  ...  ,  - 

Our  Position  and  Responsibility  as  A  Nation 
Regarding  Conditions  in  that  Country 


With  an  Opinion  as  to  the  Solntion  of  the  Question 
Without. Further  Interference  from  the 
United  States 


BY  ;  V, 

K.  O.  LANCE,  M.  BC 


An  American  Representing  the  Views  of 
Refugees  from  Mexico  now  Residing 
in  the  United  States* 


A  iloncentrated  Review  of  Events  in  Mexico 
During  the  Fast  Four  Years 


San  Anttonio,  Texas,  July  15, 1915 


Copyri4l»<«d  by  R.  O.  l,«iKoe,  M.  D. 

641  Dr*cel  Areun*  San  AntanU,  T«xa« 


RED  BOOK 


:  AND  = 

Our  Position  and  Responsibility  as  A  Nation 
Re^ardin^  Conditions  in  that  Country 

With  an  Opinion  as  to  the  Solution  of  the  Question 
Without  Further  Interference  from  the 
United  States 


BY 


R.  O.  LANCE,  M.  D. 


An  American  Representing  the  Views  of 
Refugees  from  Mexico  now  Residing 
in  the  United  States. 


A  Concentrated  Review  of  Events  in  Mexico 
During  the  Past  Four  Years 


San  Antonio,  Texas,  July  15,  1915 


64  1  Dre^el  Avenue 


Copyriithtod  by  R.  O.  Lance,  M«  D. 

San  Anionio,  Texas 


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in  2018  with  funding  from 
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https://archive.org/details/mexicotodayourpoOOIanc 


THE  RED  BOOK 


3 


In  this  article  I  shall  endeavor  to  make  clear  to  you  the  much 
discussed  and  misunderstood  IMexican  question,  the  cause  of  the  so- 
called  revolution,  its  effect  to  date  and  the  natural,  logical  solution ;  also 
the  part  the  United  States  Government  has  played  in  the  matter  and 
their  responsibility. 

As  to  my  position  in  the  matter  I  can  assure  you  that  I  am  not 
affiliated  with  any  of  the  factions;  have  known  Mexico  intimately  for 
more  than  thirty  years  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  borders  of  Guate¬ 
mala  and  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  during  which  time 
I  have  known  personally  and  dealt  with  many  of  her  authorities  as 
well  as  having  employed  and  come  in  contact  with  thousands  of  her 
peons. 

The  object  of  the  article  is  first  to  acquaint  you  with  the  facts  and 
true  conditions  and  then  ask  your  co-operation  in  seeing  that  justice 
is  done,  not  only  to  Mexico  and  the  IMexicans,  but  to  the  seventy  thous¬ 
and  of  your  fellow  citizens  and  thousands  of  Europeans  who  have  made 
their  homes  in  that  country. 

The  American  public  have  been  grossly  misled  regarding  condi¬ 
tions  in  JMexico,  and  owing  to  this  and  the  suppression  of  facts 
must,  sooner  or  later,  be  compelled  to  shoulder  obligations 
and  sacrifice  the  lives  of  thousands  of  her  sons  if  there  is  not  a 
decided  change  in  our  policy  regarding  the  country  south  of  the  Rio 
Grande. 

Now  as  to  the  cause  of  the  so-called  revolution :  One  of  the  prime 
factors  was  Francisco  I.  Madero,  an  idealist,  a  man  better  acquainted 
with  foreign  countries  and  their  peoples  than  with  his  own ;  a  man  who 
believed,  or  pretended  to  believe,  that  his  country  was  ripe  for  demo¬ 
cracy,  a  government  by  popular  vote;  this  fact  alone  proves  conclu- 
siveh'"  that  he  did  not  know  his  own  countrymen. 

Is  it  not  an  established  fact  that  a  democratic  form  of  government 
cannot  be  successfully  established  in  a  country  where  the  majority  of 
the  people  are  not  naturally  intelligent  and  know  neither  how  tp  read 
or  write?  Education  makes  democracy.  Less  than  twenty-five  per 
cent,  of  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico  know  how  to  read  or  write,  therefore 
democracy  is,  at  this  time,  impossible  in  that  country. 

Madero  was  a  spiritualist  and  his  personal  and  official  acts  were 


4 


THE  RED  BOOK 


the  result  of  conferences,  as  he  claimed,  with  his  old  friends  Napoleon 
Bonaparte  and  George  Washington. 

Another  of  his  ideals,  the  one  which  gave  him  the  enormous  fol¬ 
lowing  he  soon  had,  almost  exclusively  among  the  peon  class,  was  the 
agrarian  plan,  or  the  dividing  of  the  large  land  holdings  among  the 
poor.  This  is  one  of  the  strong  points?  being  used  by  certain  of¬ 
ficials  in  Washington  to  convince  the  American  public  that  the  Mex¬ 
ican  peon  is  in  a  state  worse  than  slavery  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  this 
government  to  do  something  to  alleviate  the  condition  of  the  poorer 
classes.  In  fact  this  has  been  one  of  the  principal  arguments  used  in 
an  endeavor  to  justify  the  policy  of  the  Washinglon  administration. 

Disabuse  you  mind,  reader ;  this  condition  did  not  exist  in  Mexico 
during  the  time  that  General  Diaz  held  office,  and  the  majority  of  the 
officials  making  these  claims  know  them  to  be  absolutely  false  and  are 
doing  so  to  gain  your  support  and  sympathy,  knowing  you  to  be  ig¬ 
norant  of  the  facts.  The  land  question  was  settled  in  Mexico  years 
ago,  and  in  a  very  equitable  manner,  as  follows : 

Under  the  law  of  Denouncement  every  citizen  of  Mexico,  either 
native  or  foreigner,  had  the  right  to  denounce  before  the  Department 
of  Fomento  any  lands  of  the  public  domain,  in  any  state  of  the  re¬ 
public,  at  a  cost  of  from  $1.25  to  $6.00  Mexican  currency,  a  hectara 
(two  and  one  half  acres),  and  with  no  strings  attached  such  as  im¬ 
mediate  improvements.  In  addition  to  this  the  peons  had  rights  to 
the  lands  known  as  community  land ;  each  municipality  received  from 
the  Central  Government  a  certain  portion  of  federal  land  in  the  im¬ 
mediate  vicinity,  and  each  and  every  native  had  a  right  to  cultivate 
or  use  his  proportion  of  that  land  without  any  recompense  either  to 
the  municipality  or  the  Central  Government. 

When  you  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  there  are  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  acres  of  public  lands  in  every  state,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Federal  District,  which  is  the  same  as  our  District  of  Columbia, 
you  can  readily  see  that  there  is  no  law  or  condition  that  prevents  the 
peon  from  acquiring  land.  lie  does  not  desire  land;  if  he  did  he 
would  have  taken  advantage  of  his  rights  of  denouncement,  as  every 
peon  in  the  country  knew  he  had  that  right. 

He  has  no  ambition,  no  initiative,  he  is  shiftless,  and  like  the 
animal,  is  satisfied  with  the  needs  of  to-day  without  any  thought  of 
the  morrow.  In  fact  he  is  below  some  of  our  animal  life;  the  squirrel, 
for  in.stance,  will  store  his  food  to  run  him  over  the  winter  months, 
but  tlie  peon  will  not  look  that  far  ahead.  lie  requires  a  guiding 


THE  RED  BOOK 


5 


hand.  During  the  more  than  thirty  years  that  General  Porfirio  Diaz 
ruled  the  country  the  peon  was  as  contented  as  he  ever  will  be  so  long 
as  he  has  to  work  for  a  living. 

As  an  example  of  the  customs  on  a  large  hacienda  or  ranch  during 
that  time  between  employer  and  peon  I  will  illustrate : 

The  farm  laborer  received  fifty  cents  a  day  as  wage;  in  addition 
to  this  he  got  a  jacal,  or  native  house,  free  of  rent,  as  well  as  a  piece 
of  land  to  cultivate  for  himself  sufficient  to  supply  the  chief  staples, 
such  as  corn,  beans,  sugar,  vegetables,  etc.,  for  the  maintenance  of  him¬ 
self  and  family.  He  was  infinitely  better  off  than  the  American 
laborer  with  a  family  working  for  a  dollar  a  day. 

If  you  pay  him  fifty  cents  a  day  he  will  work  six  days  a  week 
because  it  is  necessary  to  do  so  to  live ;  if  you  raise  him  to  seventy-five 
cents  a  day,  as  I  have  personally  done,  he  will  work  only  four  days  of 
the  week,  making  the  same  $3.00  which  he' requires  to  meet  his  needs; 
if  you  paid  him  $3.00  a  day  he  would  work  one  day  a  week  and  eat, 
sleep  and  drink  aguardiente  the  balance  of  the  time.  Every. man  know¬ 
ing  the  peon  will  vouch  for  the  fact  that  this  is  characteristic  of  the 
lower  classes  in  Mexico. 

I  will  now  go  back  to  the  reason  of  iSIadero's  tremendous  following 
among  this  class  of  people.  When  he  offered  them,  as  he  did,  a 
dollar  a  day,  a  horse  to  ride  and  gun,  with  a  nice  farm  free  after  the 
success  of  the  revolution,  as  well  as  the  privilege  of  looting  in  the  mean¬ 
time,  they  flocked  to  him  by  the  thousands.  They  did  not  rally  round 
him  because  he  was  Madero  or  represented  a  principle  to  them.  They 
would  have  done  the  same  with  anyone  who  was  above  them  socially 
and  made  them  the  promises  IMadero  did.  Of  course,  after  they 
served  Madero’s  end,  that  is,  made  him  President,  he  could  not  comply 
with  his  extravagant  promises,  and  his  former  allies  became  enemies. 
It  is  something  on  the  order  of  the  promises  made  to  the  negroes  in 
our  own  country  during  the  war  of  ’61  of  forty  acres  and  a  mule. 

Of  the  150,000  comprising  Madero’s  army  80,000  were  criminals  of 
the  worst  type  serving  from  five  to  twenty  years  in  the  prisons  of  Mex¬ 
ico  for  robbery  and  murder;  his  first  act  upon  taking  a  city  or  town 
was  to  liberate  the  prisoners  and  incorporate  them  in  his  army.  And 
the  majority  of  the  men  serving  under  Carranza  and  Villa  to-day  are 
the  same  ones  who  were  liberated  from  the  prisons  by  Madero.  Can 
you  wonder  jit  tlie  horrihlc  crimes  committed  l)y  these  fellows  when 
armed  and  turned  loose  on  the  public  with  a  free  rein  and  the  protec¬ 
tion  of  their  superior  officers? 


6 


THE  RED  BOOK 


'I’jicre  were  other  ]K)teiit  factors  throngli  which  Madero  received 
financial  and  physical  aid  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  able  to  over¬ 
throw  President  Diaz,  but  of  this  I  do  not  deem  it  prudent  to  speak 
at  this  time.  History  will  reveal  all  this  in  the  future,  and  I  assure 
you  when  (lie  tbets  nre  1<jhuvu  every  self-respecting  American  will  bow 
his  head  in  shame  for  the  part  he  has  unconsciously  been  compelled 
to  take  in  the  commission  of  the  most  diabolical  crime  ever  conceived 
where  human  blood  was  played  against  dollars  and  cents. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Madero  at  the  request  of  the  Mexican 
congress,  forced  through  public  opinion.  General  Victoriano  Huerta 
became  the  legal  de  jure  president  of  JMexico,  and  then  the  troubles  of 
that  country  began  in  earnest.  In  a  few  days  both  Madero  and 
Suarez  were  murdered,  and  the  insinuation  was  made  in  Washington 
from  political  sources  and  for  political  reasons  that  Huerta  was  respon¬ 
sible  for  these  crimes,  when  the  fact  of  the  matter  is  he  was  no  more 
responsible  than  you  are.  Huerta  had  everything  to  lose  and  nothing 
to  gain  through  the  death  of  Madero  in  this  manner.  He  could  have 
imprisoned  him  or  even  expatriated  him,  and  with  reason  and  justice. 
JMadero  had  verbally  agreed  to  resign  and  when  congress  had  drafted 
the  document  and  sent  it  to  him  in  the  National  Palace  for  his  signature 
what  did  he  do?  Simply  had  the  bearer  of  the  message,  Coronel 
Riverol,  murdered  on  the  spot. 

All  of  the  leaders  at  this  time  were  playing  for  recognition  from 
the  United  States,  and  Huerta  has,  on  hundreds  of  occasions,  proven 
himself  far  too  astute  to  commit  any  such  blunder  as  this  even  if  Ma¬ 
dero  and  Suarez  were  in  the  way.  But  they  were  not.  Huerta  was 
President  when  they  were  killed.  IVIadero  had  lost  all  prestige  and  w^as 
considered  bj^  the  majority  of  the  Mexicans  not  only  an  incompetent 
but  a  traitor.  What  had  Huerta  to  fear  from  them?  Absolutely  nothing. 
I  positively  know  that  an  effort  was  made  to  murder  Huerta  the  same 
night  that  Madero  was  killed. 

There  were  other  Mexicans  desiring  the  position,  and  both  Madero 
and  Huerta  were  in  the  way;  Madero’s  murderer  is  now  in  Guatemala 
and  for  those  well  informed  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  figure  out  who  had 
the  most  to  gain  by  the  removal  of  INladero,  Suarez  and  Huerta. 

Reflections  have  been  cast  upon  the  integrity  of  our  own  ambas¬ 
sador  at  the  time,  Mr.  Henry  Lane  Wilson,  and  he  was  ignominiously 
removed  by  the  State  Department  for  the  simple  reason  that  he  com¬ 
plied  with  his  duty  and  liad  the  courage  of  his  convictions.  He  will 
at  no  late  day  be  vindicated  at  the  expense  of  higher  up’s. 


THE  RED  BOOK 


7 


The  Washington  administration  refused  to  recognize  the  govern¬ 
ment  of  Huerta  although  all  other  civilized  countries  did.  Huerta 
was  known  to  be  a  strong  man,  one  who  would  not  pledge  certain  con¬ 
cessions  in  this  country  as  jMadero  did,  as  Carranza  has  done;  these 
men  were  willing  to  sacrifice  their  country’s  riches  for  their  own  per¬ 
sonal  gains.  Huerta  was  not  willing  to  do  so  which  accounts  for  his 
unpopularity  in  certain  circles  at  Washington  and  on  Wall  Street. 

Mr.  Wilson  claimed  it  would  be  immoral  to  recognize  Huerta;  does 
he  mean  to  say  that  all  of  Europe,  who  did,  without  exception,  re¬ 
cognize  Huerta,  are  immoral  countries?  Does  this  mean  that  the 
ITesident  of  the  United  States  is  to  set  the  standard  of  morality  for 
the  rest  of  the  world?  Did  not  President  Wilson  then  lower  his  standard 
of  morality  when  he  immediately  after  recognized  the  president  of 
Peru  who  entered  office  over  the  dead  body  of  his  predecessor?  Plis 
recognition  of  the  new  President  of  Peru  was  tantamount  to  a  confes¬ 
sion  of  error  regarding  Mexico.  On  the  other  hand  the  big  interests 
were  not  at  stake  in  Peru  as  they  were  in  jMexico. 

Does  this  not  convince  you  that  there  is  something  being  concealed 
from  you,  that  there  is  some  ulterior  motive  for  wanting  and  insisting 
upon  a  certain  individual  as  president  of  JMexico.  Had  Mr.  Wilson 
recognized  Huerta  when  advised  to  do  so  by  Mr.  Moore,  the  State 
Department’s  brilliant  legal  adviser,  peace  would  have  been  restored 
in  Mexico  within  three  months. 

He  not  only  failed  to  recognize  him  but  placed  every  obstacle 
possible  in  his  way,  making  it  a  physical  impossibility  for  him  to  do¬ 
minate  the  situation,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Huerta  had  the 
symphathy  and  support  of  ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  inhabitants  of 
liis  country. 

Mr.  Wilson  cut  him  off  from  monev,  arms  and  ammunition  in 
this  country,  and  at  the  same  time  was  openly  supplying  them  to  the 
enemies  of  law  and  order. 

I  am  going  to  demonstrate  to  you  now  that  the  Washington  adminis¬ 
tration  is  entirely,  solely  and  exclusively  responsible  for  conditions  in 
JMexico  to-day  and  also  that  they  alone  can  be  instrumental  in  restor¬ 
ing  the  country  to  normal  conditions: 

Early  in  November,  1913,  Mr.  Wilson  served  the  following  note 
upon  Huerta: 

First;  That  the  first  magistrate  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  recent 
conj)  d’etat  was  a  direct  violation  of  the  assurances  which  Huerta  gave 
Ills  government. 


8 


THE  RED  BOOK 


Second:  That  unless  Huerta,  voluntarily  and  on  his  own  initia¬ 
tive,  retires  at  once  from  power  and  abandons  every  idea  of  controlling 
the  organization  of  the  government  and  the  conduct  of  negotiations, 
the  first  magistrate  will  find  himself  under  the  necessity  of  interven¬ 
ing  by  means  of  an  ultimatum,  and  if  this  is  not  accepted  he  will  be 
obliged  to  propose  to  the  congress  of  his  country  the  adoption  of  pract¬ 
ical  measures  of  a  most  serious  nature. 

Third:  That  the  government  of  the  first  magistrate  sincerely 

desires  to  avoid  extreme  measures,  as  much  for  the  sake  of  Mexico  as 
for  the  sake  of  peace  in  America,  and  is  of  itself  disposed  to  act  reason¬ 
ably  in  order  not  to  wound  Huerta’s  sense  of  dignity,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  give  Huerta  the  personal  protection  he  might  need. 

Fourth:  That  with  this  purpose  in  view  it  proposes  the  follow¬ 
ing:  that  there  be  selected  some  person,  or  small  group  of  persons  which 
to  the  least  possible  extent  shall  have  been  connected  with  the  recent 
political  disturbances  (for  example,  men  of  mature  age  who  have  re¬ 
tired  from  the  field  of  politics  and  who  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the 
people),  who  shall  form  a  constitutional  government  and  make  what¬ 
ever  arrangements  may  be  necessary  for  a  general  election.  In  these 
elections  there  shall  be  selected  a  new  congress  and  a  new  chief  ex¬ 
ecutive,  to  the  end  that  the  government  be  established  on  a  constitutional 
basis. 

Fifth :  That  such  a  course  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  end  that 
he  (the  chief  executive)  merit  the  approval  of  the  first  magistrate, 
for  the  reason  that  the  government  of  the  chief  magistrate  has  firmly 
and  irrevocably  decided,  by  one  method  or  another,  to  eliminate  com¬ 
pletely  all  assitance  that  Huerta  believes  he  may  receive  from  foreign 
sources,  if  he  persists  in  his  proposal  to  remain  in  power,  it  being  a 
further  fact  that  only  for  a  few  days  longer  will  he,  Huerta,  be  free 
to  select  the  course  he  chooses  to  follow.  His  withdraw^al,  and  conse¬ 
quent  absolute  liberty  of  action  in  the  reestablishment  of  constitu¬ 
tional  power,  alone  will  be  accepted  by  the  chief  magistrate.  This 
government  cannot  urge  with  too  much  insitance,  now  that  the  out¬ 
come  is  inevitable,  that  Huerta  reach  his  decision  wisely  and  at  the 
same  time  give  full  consideration  to  the  terrible  consequences  which 
will  follow  his  vacillation  or  refusal. 

Sixth:  That  the  proposal  to  substitute  Blanquet,  or  any  other 
representative  of  the  government  of  Huerta,  or  any  one  connected  with 
his  coup  d’etat,  will  conduce  to  further  irritation  on  the  part  of  the  first 
magistrate  and  inevitable  and  definite  rupture.  The  same  result  will 


THE  RED  BOOK 


follow  any  effort  to  place  in  power  the  candidates  chosen  at  the  last 
election,  be  it  for  President  or  member  of  congress. 

The  above  are  Mr.  Wilson’s  own  words;  now  let  us  dissect  this 
note  and  see  Avhat  it  means : 

First  paragraph:  In  the  first  place  it  was  not  g,  coup  d'etat,  a.s 
Huerta  was  appointed  to  office  by  right  of  succession  by  the  duly 
elected  Mexican  Congress,  and  not  by  force  of  arms.  Nobody  but  Mr. 
Wilson  claims  it  was  a  coup. 

And  supposing  that  it  were  a  coup,  does  the  American  Govern¬ 
ment,  do  the  American  people,  wish  to  presume  before  the  world  that 
they  have  the  right  to  dictate  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  rulers 
of  foreign  countries  shall  be  placed  in  power?  You  cannot,  even  if 
you  so  wish,  endow  your  President  with  this  faculty ;  nevertheless  when 
he  considered  himself  authorized  to  say  who  or  who  should  not  be 
President  of  Mexico  he  compelled  you,  as  American  citizens,  to  assume 
the  enormous  responsibilities,  both  financial  and  moral,  that  have  re¬ 
sulted  from  his  presumptions  policy  in  that  country. 

Second  paragraph:  And  how  could  Huerta  voluntarily  resign 
when  ]Mr.  Wilson  threatens  to  stick  a  gun  in  his  ribs  if  he  does  not 
do  so?  This  is  on  the  order  of  the  voluntary  loans  collected  by  Car¬ 
ranza  and  Villa.  And  Mr.  Wilson  in  the  same  paragraph  threatens 
Huerta  with  an  ultimatum,  and  if  this  is  not  accepted  he  will  propose 
to  the  Congress  of  his  country  the  adoption  of  practical  measures  of  a 
most  serious  nature.  Is  this  not  a  confession  that  what  was  previous¬ 
ly  done  was  impracticable?  When  a  man  starts  wrong  he  is  in 
deep  water  until  he  screws  up  sufficient  courage  to  admit  to  himself 
he  has  been  wrong  and  then  rectifies  as  far  as  possible  his  errors. 

Paragraph  three:  And  IMr.  Wilson  admits  that  Huerta  has  a 
sense  of  dignity  which  he  does  not  wish  to  wound  and  expresses  that 
wish  in  an  insulting  note  of  this  character.  It  would  be  laughablo 
were  we  not  dealing  with  such  a  serious  question.  It  is  like  stepping 
on  one’s  pet  corn  intentionally  and  asking  his  pardon,  then  slapping 
him  in  the  face  and  asking  that  he  excuse  you.  And  Mr.  Wilson 
offere  Huerta  personal  protection.  That  is  comical.  Huerta  never 
asked  for,  desired  or  needed  protection  from  his  own  people.  He  need¬ 
ed  protection  only  from  Mr.  Wilson’s  persecution.  lie,  as  well  as  all 
other  good  Mexicans  and  thousands  of  Americans,  wanted  Mr.  Wilson 
to  let  him  alone  and  not  meddle  in  the  internal  affairs  of  Mexico.  I 
was  with  him  in  Mexico  City  on  the  night  of  the  day  he  resigned, 
standing  in  the  door  of  ^‘El  Globo”  on  San  Francisco  Street.  Protec- 


10 


THE  RED  BOOK 


tion?  His  people  were  shouting  “long  live  Huerta.” 

Paragraph  four:  Mr.  Wilson  demands  that  arrangements  for  a 
general  election  be  made.  Here,  more  clearly  than  ever,  he  demon¬ 
strates  his  ignorance  of  conditions  in  Mexico.  A  general  election  can¬ 
not  be  held  in  Mexico  in  less  than  fifty  years  from  now,  -the  reason  for 
which  I  have  previously  explained. 

Paragrapph  five :  There  should  never  have  been  a  question  raised 
as  to  whether  Mr.  Wilson  approved  of  Huerta  or  not.  It  should  not 
have  been  a  question  of  Huerta’s  personality,  be  he  whatsoever  Mr. 
Wilson  may  think.  It  was  a  question  as  to  whether  the  President  of 
Mexico,  in  his  official  capacity,  gave  the  necessary  guarantees  to  protect 
foreign  'personal  and  material  rights  or  not.  That  he  did  so  in  ter¬ 
ritory  under  his  control  is  beyond  question.  There  is  not  a  single  case 
on  record  where  complaint  was  made  by  a  foreigner  against  a  ]\Iexican 
in  the  territory  controlled  by  Huerta  in  which  a  satisfactory  settle¬ 
ment  Avas  not  made. 

And  Mr.  Wilson  says  that  his  government  has  firmly  and  ir¬ 
revocably  decided,  by  one  method  or  another,  to  eliminate  completely 
all  assistance  that  Huerta  believes  he  may  receive  from  foreign  sources, 
etc.  Is  that  not  an  appalling,  an  egotistical  statement,  a  thing 
impossible  of  acomplishment?  Mr.  Wilson  threatens  all  of  Europe 
if  they  do  not  obey  his  instructions  and  for  no  other  reason  than  to 
satisfy  a  personal  grudge  he  has  against  Huerta.  Every  nation  in 
Europe  ivas  acting  strictly  within  their  rights  when  they  shipped  arms 
and  ammunition  to  Huerta.  They  recognized  him  as  the  de  jure 
President  of  Mexico,  he  recognized  them,  and  he  paid  for  all  he  got, 
in  spite  of  Mr.  Wilsons  threat.  Great  Britain,  France,  Germany, 
Italy  and  Japan  all  sent  Huerta  war  supplies,  and  openly,  long  after 
]\Ir.  Wilson  made  the  above  threat.  The  grape  juice  must  have  fer¬ 
mented  the  day  this  note  ivas  composed. 

In  only  one  instance  ivas  Mr.  Wilson  able  to  pr'event  Huerta  from 
getting  arms  and  ammunition,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  and  that  Avas  from 
Japan.  Huerta  had  sent  a  commission  to  Japan  to  purchase  arms  and 
ammunition ;  this  commission  contracted  and  paid  for  tAventy-five 
thousand  carbines  and  forty  thousand  rifles.  They  also  contracted 
for  ten  million  cartridges  Avhich  Avere  delivered  to  the  commission  but 
rejected  by  them  as  Avorthless.  Of  the  rifles  twenty  thousand  Avere 
shipped  a  feAV  days  before  the  Americans  occupied  A^eracruz ;  Avhen  the 
balance  of  them  Avere  about  to  be  shipped  the  Japanese  Government 
notified  the  commission  they  could  not  ship  them  as  a  note  had  been 


THE  RED  BOOK 


11 


received  from  the  United  States  requesting  them  not  to  allow  the  ship¬ 
ment. 

The  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating.  The  fact  of  the  matter 
was  the  Japanese  Government  refused  to  allow  the  shipment,  the  com¬ 
mission  telegraphed  the  American  State  Department  making  claims, 
(which  telegram  was  never  answered),  the  Japs  sold  the  arms  to 
Russia  and  as  I  am  informed  by  a  member  of  the  commission  still  hold 
about  a  inillion  pesos  of  Mexico’s  money.  Another  significant  in¬ 
cident  is  the  fact  ihat  the  next  day  IMinister  Okuma  published  a  state¬ 
ment  to  the  effect  that  INIexico  could  not  any  longer  count  on  assistance 
from  Japan  as  they  were  very  good  friends  to  the  United  States. 

Huerta  did  the  only  thing  possible  under  the  circumstances,  ig¬ 
noring  in  toto  the  note. 

Mr.  l^ulson  claims  to  be  an  advocate  of  peace  but  he  does  not 
hesitate  one  minute  as  President  of  this  country  to  declare  a  personal 
warfare  against  the  President  of  IVIexico.  And  by  what  right,  legally 
or  morally,  does  the  President  of  the  United  States  say  who  shall  or 
shall  not  be  President  of  IMexico?  "Would  you  concede  the  right  of 
the  King  of  England  to  name  your  president?  •Then  how  can  you 
expect  the  Mexicans  to  allow  Mr.  AVilson  to  name  their  chief  executive? 

After  Pluerta  ignored  the  above  demands  Mr.  AVilson  invited  fur¬ 
ther  the  crticism  of  all  right-thinking  Americans  who  understood  the 
situation  by  raising  the  embargo  on  arms  and  ammunition  and  open¬ 
ly  lent  the  support  of  the  American  nation  to  the  mo.st  notorious  mur¬ 
derer  and  bandit  living,  Doroteo  Arango,  alias  Pancho  ATlla. 

Does  it  not  arouse  your  indignation  to  see  the  support  of  this 
great  country  given  to  a  world-renowned  bandit  to  further  his  own 
criminal  aspirations  through  your  President  publicly  supporting  him? 

Is  it  not  inexplicable? 

Even  with  the  above  support  Carranza  and  Ahlla  could  not  advance, 
and  then  Air.  AA’’ilson  deliberately  blockaded  the  port  of  Veracruz  in 
an  attempt  to  prevent  Huerta  from  getting  the  cargo  of  arms  and  am¬ 
munition  from  the  German  ship  Ypiranga,  consigned  to  Huerta  at 
Veracruz. 

I  shall  now  make  clear  to  yon  that  the  invasion  of  A^ eracruz  was 
not  only  uncalled  for  but  inexcusible,  but  you  must  forget  race  pre¬ 
judice  and  look  the  facts  squarely  in  the  face.  The  flag  incident  of 
Tampico  was  a  prote.st,  and  the  real  object  was  to  prevent  Huerta  from 
receiving  the  arms  and  ammunition  on  board  the  Ypiranga.  Tho 
American  flag  was  not  insulted  at  Tampico.  Under  the  circumstan- 


12 


THE  RED  BOOK 


ces  there  could  be  no  insult  to  the  flag.  Some  American  marines  in 
uniform  landed  at  the  dock  in  Tampico  which  was  being  patrolled  by 
Mexican  soldiers.  Under  military  law  the  world  over,  it  is  absolute¬ 
ly  prohibited  that  either  armed  uniformed  soldiers  or  marines  shall 
land  on  territory  of  a  foreign  nation  in  a  state  of  war,  and  such  a 
landing  shall  be  considered  as  a  declaration  of  war.  That  same  rule 
is  a  part  of  the  iVmerican  code,  and  according  to  your  own  law  and 
custom  the  marines  were  guilty  of  a  breach,  and  the  Mexicans  resented 
it  the  same  as  you  would  do  under  like  circumstances. 

Would  you  resent  the  landing  of  their  soldiers  on  your  territory? 
And  if  the  flag  had  been  insulted  at  Tampico  and  that  were  reason 
for  the  invasion  would  our  forces  not  have  been  landed  at  the  point 
where  the  offense  was  committed?  Our  forces  were  landed  at  Vera¬ 
cruz,  not  Tampico,  and  with  the  sole  object  of  preventing  Huerta  from 
receiving  the  cargo  of  the  Ypiranga,  as  events  have  proved,  and  not 
with  the  intention  of  forcing  Mexico  to  salute  our  flag.  If  that  were 
the  object  why  has  it  not  been  saluted? 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  according  to  law  and  custom  the  Mexicans 
had  been  guilty  oUno  offense,  the  military  commander  of  Tampico 
rendered  a  prompt  apology  to  the  American  commander  before  any 
claims  had  been  made  from  Washington,  an  apology  which  would  have 
been  satisfactory  to  any  country  even  if  an  offense  such  as  claimed  had 
been  committed.  Why  has  ]\Ir.  Wilson  not  demanded  an  apology 
from  Villa  who  publicly  tore  down  the  American  flag  in  Chihuahua 
and  spat  on  it  and  has  violated  it  on  numerous  occasions? 

Did  ]\lr.  Wilson  then  make  good  his  threat  in  paragraph  five  of 
his  note?  No.  He  would  then  have  had  a  first-class  power  lo  deal 
with.  When  the  captain  of  the  Ypiranga  discovered  that  Veracruz 
was  in  possession  of  the  Americans  he  refused  to  discharge  his  cargo 
there;  he  took  to  the  high  seas,  followed  by  American  cruisiers,  got 
instructions  to  discharge  his  cargo  at  Port  of  Mexico  and  deliver  it  to 
Huerta’s  forces,  which  he  did.  There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the 
injustice  of  this  move.  It  was  not  only  unjust  to  attempt  to  prevent 
the  only  recognized  power  in  Mexico  to  get  arms  and  ammunition  with 
which  to  hold  off  the  different  bandit  factions  and  at  the  same  time 
to  allow  the  criminal  element  to  get  them;  it  was  cruel,  cowardly, 
criminal. 

Do  not  forget  that  Huerta  was  the  only  hope  of  the  decent  and 
virtuous  element  in  Mexico,  and  that  his  enemies  were  the  men  who 
have  committed  the  most  fiendish  of  crimes;  and  do  not  forget  that 


THE  RED  BOOK 


13 


President  Wilson  was  aware  of  these  facts.  If  he  were  ignorant  of 
this  there  might  be  some  excuse,  but  he  was  not,  as  thousands  of  letters, 
telegrams  and  individuals  so  informed  him,  therefore,  having  the  facts 
before  him  it  can  only  be  classified  as  above,  cruel,  cowardly,  criminal. 

There  was  absolutely  no  excuse  for  the  invasion  of  Veracruz  ex¬ 
cept  to  satisfy  the  personal  animosity  of  Mr.  Wilson,  and  naturally 
the  JMexicans  were  much  incensed  and  bitter  toward  Americans.  Mr. 
AVilson  then  very  cooly  ordered  us  out  of  Mexico.  Thousands  of  for¬ 
eigners  who  had  their  all  in  that  country  left,  mmiy  of  them  with 
nothing  but  the  clothing  on  their  backs.  At  Tampico  Iiundreds  of 
Americans  congregated ;  there  were  two  American  gunboats  in  tho 
harbor,  and  during  the  first  night  of  the  invasion,  April  22,  the  Amer¬ 
icans  congregated  in  the  Southern  Hotel.  About  11  p.  m.  the  ex¬ 
cited  mob  attacked  the  hotel  shouting  ‘‘kill  the  Americans.”  What 
do  you  suppose  the  gunboats  did  when  they  heard  what  was  going  on? 
Come  to  our  rescue?  No.  They  up-anchored  and  took  to  the  high 
seas,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  plucky  captain  of  a  German  gunboat 
who  landed  some  of  his  marines  and  come  to  the  rescue  of  the  Amer¬ 
icans  some  of  them  would  j)robably  have  been  killed.  Do  not  rorget 
the  fact  there  were  many  women  and  children  among  these  people. 
This  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  protection  Americans  got  in  Mexico  from 
the  present  administration. 

Air.  Wilson  sent  to  Alexico  his  personal  friend.  Air.  John  Lind,  to 
report  on  conditions  in  that  country.  Air.  Lind  neither  understood 
the  Spanish  language  nor  Latin  Americans,  therefore  was  incapable 
of  learning  their  desires  from  a  political  standpoint.  He  landed  in 
AVracruz,  stopped  at  the  consulate;  went  out  and  looked  up  Indepen¬ 
dence  street  and  down  the  Fifth  of  Alay;  then  took  a  trip  to  Alexico 
City,  insulted  Huerta  by  presenting  to  him  Air.  AVilson’s  note  and 
returned  to  Veracruz,  where  he  then  made  the  statement  that  he  en¬ 
tirely  understood  the  Alexican  question  and  conditions  in  the  country; 
he  never  was  within  500  miles  of  the  section  in  which  battles  were 
being  fought,  and  still  he  knew  it  all. 

And  there  can  be  no  disputing  the  fact  that  armed  intervention 
will  result  if  the  present  policy  of  supporting  bandits  and  persecuting 
the  decent  element  continues.  There  does  not,  nor  has  there,  existed 
during  the  past  two  years,  a  single  excuse  or  reason  for  American 
intervention  in  Alexico.  All  crimes  committed  against  American  citi¬ 
zens  and  foreigners  for  whom  we  were  responsible  through  the  Alonroe 
doctrine  were  committed  by  the  forces  of  Carranza  and  Anlla,  undeni- 


14 


THE  RED  BOOK 


ably  and  admitted  by  all  the  world  to  be  Mr.  "Wilson’s  proteges.  Then 
how  can  we,  why  should  we,  intervene  to  change  a  condition  of  affairs 
which  we  have  brought  about  and  for  which  your  President  is  person¬ 
ally  and  solely  responsible? 

Mr.  AVilson  in  his  message  to  Congress  delivered  in  person  on 
August  27,  1913,  said  he  believed  the  Alexican  government  rejected  his 
proposals  because  “the  authorities  had  been  grossly  misinformed  and 
misled  upon  two  points.”  First,  they  did  not  “realize  the  spirit”  of 
“friendship”  and  “determination”  of  the  American  people  ;and  secondly 
“they  did  not  believe  that  the  present  administration  spoke  through 
Air.  Lind  for  the  people  of  the  United  States.”  AA^as  Mr.  Lind  speak¬ 
ing  for  the  people  of  the  United  States  when  he  said  in  A^eracruz  “the 
rebels  will  win  in  Alexico  or  there  will  be  American  intervention?” 

The  Alexican  authorities  were  quite  justified  in  their  contention 
that  Air.  Lind  was  not  speaking  for  the  American  people.  He  was 
not.  The  American  people  do  not  sanction  meddling  in  the  family 
affairs  of  their  neighbors.  One  of  the  State  Department  representa¬ 
tives,  particularly,  who  has  covered  territory  in  Northern  Alexico  for 
some  time,  was  and  has  been  for  several  years  socially  ostracised,  tlie 
decent  native  and  foreign  element  refusing  to  associate  with  him.  And 
there  is  another,  at  present  with  Carranza,  who  is  incompetent  for  the 
same  reason  that  Air.  Lind  was. 

And  this  is  the  class  of  men  from  whom  Air.  AA^ilson  has  secured 
all  his  information  regarding  conditions  in  Alexico.  He  certainly  had 
reason  to  state,  as  he  did,  in  his  speech  at  Princeton  some  months 
ago,  that  he  was  misinformed  regarding  Alexico.  The  State  Department 
has  persistently  refused  to  listen  to  any  of  the  thousands  of  Americans 
who  have  spent  their  lives  in  Alexico,  and  the  best  any  of  us  ever  got 
was  “you  have  interests  in  Alexico  and  therefore  are  biased  in  you 
opinions.”  AVe  have  been  classified  as  adventurers  for  the  reason  we 
had  gone  to  a  foreign  country  to  pioneer.  If  it  were  not  for  the  so- 
called  adventurers  what  would  be  the  status  of  foreign  commerce? 

About  one  year  after  the  demand  was  made  that  Huerta  retire 
within  a  few  days,  he  did  so,  voluntarily.  He  was  told  by  certain  di¬ 
plomatic  representatives  in  Alexico  that  if  he  retired  and  turned  over 
the  government  to  Alr^Carvajal,  who* was  acceptable  to  the  AAmshington 
administration,  that  it  would  restore  peace  to  the  country,  assuring 
him  that  this  country  would  support  Carvajal.  Huerta,  in  the  inter¬ 
est  of  his  country,  on  those  conditions  resigned,  and  Carvajal  took 
his  place.  AAkas  Carvajal  recognized?  No.  On  the  contrary  things 


THE  RED  BOOK 


15 


were  made  more  difficult  for  him,  and  within  a  few  weeks  he  was 
compelled,  for  certain  reasons,  which  at  some  future  date  I  shall  di¬ 
vulge,  to  evacuate  eight  large  cities  near  the  City  of  Mexico,  surround¬ 
ing  himself  on  three  sides  by  enemies. 

These  promises  were,  without  doubt,  made  in  bad  faith,  and  sole¬ 
ly  for  the  purpose  of  eradicating  the  iron  man,  Huerta.  He  could  not 
bo  removed  by  threats  nor  by  an  attempt  to  cut  him  off  from  supplies 
and  money  as  Mr.  Wilson  had  threatened,  nor  by  force  except  through 
actual  intervention,  so  he  was  tricked  into  leaving  through  false  pro¬ 
mises. 

Owing  to  Huerta’s  retiring  Mr.  Wilson’s  efforts  were  crowned  with 
success,  and  Villa  and  Carranza  became  all  powerful  and  Carvajal 
was  forced  to  retire.  Carranza  became  provisional  President,  but  soon 
the  two  thieves  had  a  misunderstanding  and  each  one  selected  territory 
in  which  to  carry  on  their  nefarious  schemes. 

Since  that  time  things  have  gone  from  bad  to  worse,  and  now  the 
most  deplorable  condition  imaginable  exists;  no  other  country  has 
ever  suffered  as  Mexico;  160,000  armed  bandits  and  marauders  have 
been  turned  loose  on  the  country;  their  first  move  was  to  disarm  all 
civilians,  a  house  to  house  search  being  made  over  the  entire  country ; 
then  all  horses  and  saddles  were  seized.  A  decree  was  then  issued  that 
all  those  possessing  arms  and  ammunition  failing  to  deliver  them  to  the 
nearest  military  chief  within  forty-eight  hours  would  be  summarily 
executed  without  trial.  All  civilians  disarmed,  thereby  placing  them¬ 
selves  at  the  mercy  of  the  lower  element.  Then  hell  broke  loose.  Both 
factions  cruelly,  fiendishly,  tortured  then  murdered  those  supposed  to 
have  been  friendly  to  the  old  regime.  Doctors,  lawyers,  priests  mer¬ 
chants,  who  had  apparently  been  neutral  but  unfortunately  possessed 
either  money,  lands  or  merchandise,  were  taken  prisoners  and  com¬ 
pelled  to  sweep  the  streets  in  the  broiling  sun,  while  the  officers  in 
charge  took  their  possessions  and  in  many  instances  went  to  their 
homes  and  violated  their  families.  If  a  man  rebelled  against  these 
outrages  he  was  shot.  The  churches  were  desecrated  and  used  as  bar¬ 
racks,  and  in  the  convents  not  only  the  nuns  and  sisters  of  mercy 
were  outraged  but  also  the  young  pupils.  These  are  not  isolated  cases, 
this  condition  existed  wherever  you  found  Carranza  or  Villa  forces. 

It  has  become  a  custom  among  these  savages  to  give  dances  in  the 
name  of  the  officer  commanding  the  garrison ;  invitations  would  be 
sent  to  the  female  members  of  the  leading  families  and  at  the  same 
time  a  threat  would  be  made  that  if  they  refused  to  attend  the  male 
members  of  the  family  would  pay  the  penalty.  Thousands  of  the 
better  class  of  women  and  girls  were  forcibly  assaulted  at  these  dances. 

I  have  personally  seen  these  fiends  torture  their  victims  in  a  man¬ 
ner  that  would  have  made  an  Appache  Indian  shudder  at  the  thought 


16 


THE  EED  BOOK 


of.  I  have  seen  them  saturate  a  man’s  clothing  with  petroleum  then 
set  him  on  fire.  I  have  seen  men  with  the  soles  of  their  feet  pared  to 
the  bone  and  forced  to  walk  on  cactus,  then  tied  up  and  placed  on  an 
ant  hill  to  be  slowly  eaten  by  the  ants. 

I  have  seen  hundreds  hung  and  shot,  and  the  crimes  against  wo¬ 
mankind  are  so  fiendish  and  repulsive  they  cannot  be  described. 

Everybody  was  robbed,  literally  stripped  of  their  all,  and  the 
worst  crime  a  man  could  be  charged  with  was  the  possession  of  money, 
and  the  female,  virtue. 

Since  the  Washington  administration  has  supplied  these  bandits 
with  arms  and  ammunition  almost  300  foreigners  have  been  murdered 
in  cold  blood,  more  than  half  of  them  Americans,  to  say  nothing  of 
themore  than  300  Chinese  murdered  in  Torreon  in  one  day.  Only 
in  one  case  has  an  apology  been  made  or  indemnization  paid,  that  of 
Mr.  John  McManus,  murdered  by  Zapata  troops  in  Mexico  City  about 
two  months  ago,  $20,000  paid  family. 

All  of  us  have  been  robbed,  driven  from  our  homes,  and  our  prop¬ 
erties  are  now  in  the  hands  of  these  renegades.  We  are  unable  to 
defend  ourselves  as  we  have  been  disarmed  and  the  United  States  con¬ 
tinues  openly  to  furnish  our  enemies  all  they  want. 

Has  anything  of  the  kind  ever  been  done  before  in  the  history 
of  the  world?  A  President  who  claims  to  be  an  advocate  of  peace, 
a  moral  and  cultured  gentleman,  openly  rendering  aid  to  notorious, 
world-renowned  criminals,  knowing  perfectly  well  as  he  does,  that 
neither  of  these  bandit  leaders  have,  or  ever  had,  any  intention  of  es¬ 
tablishing  a  government  in  Mexico,  and  are  devoting  themselves  entire¬ 
ly  to  the  exploitation  of  the  peaceable  people  for  their  personal  gain. 
And  the  great  American  public  is  unconsciously  a  party  to  this;  you 
have  been  misled,  misinformed,  the  facts  have  been  suppressed.  The 
President,  the  Secretary  of  State  and  many  of  your  Congressional  Re¬ 
presentatives  knoiv  these  statements  to  be  facts. 

Ignorance  is  no  excuse  before  the  law,  and  as  a  nation  you  will 
be  held  responsible  by  the  civilized  world  for  these  crimes  because  it 
is  an  admitted  fact  that  your  President  and  Secretary  of  State  are  en¬ 
tirely  and  solely  responsible  for  conditions  in  Mexico,  owing  to  their 
foolish  interference  in  a  question  which  was  none  of  their  concern. 

That  I  am  not  alone  in  this  opinion  you  will  readily  see  by  read¬ 
ing  the  following  editorials  taken  from  the  leading  papers  of  the  world: 

From  the  Washington  Pont'- 

The  people  of  the  United  States  have,  during  the  past  ten  months, 
given  to  the  President  and  his  Secretary  of  State  a  most  remarkable 
proof  of  tlicir  ct/iifidencc  in  their  sincerity  of  purpose.  The  more  k  tnark- 
able  inasmuch  as  many  of  tliem  have  failed  to  see  that  the  rights  of 
our  citizens  were  as  fully  protected  as  desired,  or  that  “the  watching 
and  waiting”  policy  was  either  beneficial  to  iMexico,  to  the  United 
States,  or  fair  to  the  citizens  or  subjects  of  foreign  nations. 


THE  RED  BOOK 


17 


That  it  has  not  brought  peace  or  happiness  to  the  people  of  Mexico 
must  be  admitted. 

That  it  has  been  productive  of  immense  losses  to  American,  British, 
German,  French,  and  Spanish  investors  is  apparent  to  all. 

That  it  has  advanced  the  peace  interests  of  the  world  is  exceedingly 
doubtful. 

That  it  was  and  is  producing  friction  in  our  foreign  relations 
would  seem  to  be  as  clear  as  diplomatic  secrecy  will  permit  the  public 
to  judge. 

From  the  New  Orleans  Picayune: 

Strong  as  has  been  President  Wilson’s  policy  with  respect  to  mat¬ 
ters  of  domestic  concern,  it  must  be  admitted  with  regret  that  his  atti¬ 
tude  toward  Mexico  has  been  extremely  weak  and  vascilating.  Amer¬ 
icans  have  been  told  to  leave  the  country,  as  their  government  either 
could  not  or  would  not  protect  them.  Foreigners,  both  Americans  and 
Europeans,  have  been  maltreated  and  their  property  seized  or  pillaged, 
yet  nothing  has  been  done  other  than  the  presentation  of  feeble  protests. 

As  a  result  of  this  course  foreign  governments  have  lost  all  con¬ 
fidence  in  our  ability  to  control  the  Mexican  situation,  and  as  they 
have  no  reason  to  expect  anything  from  the  revolutionists,  they  are 
quietly  financing  ITuerta  in  the  belief  that  he  is  the  only  man  in  Mexico 
capable  of  maintaining  at  least  a  show  of  order. 

From  the  San  Francisco  Argonaut: 

That  President  Wilson  still  hopes  for  the  establishment  of  peace 
and  order  in  Mexico  in  the  spirit  of  her  parchment  constitution  is 
simply  evidence  of  the  failure  of  a  man  of  academic  mind  to  distin¬ 
guish  between  fact  and  theory.  So  long  as  Mr.  Wilson  shall  maintain  his 
present  views,  and  his  present  course  of  action  Mexico  must  suffer 
under  that  combination  of  cruelties  and  terrors  so  forcibly  described 
in  a  letter  from  the  City  of  IMexico  printed  in  last  week’s  Argonaut. 
One  well-intentioned  but  unfortunately  misinformed  and  curiously 
stubborn  man  is  practically  holding  Mexico  prostrate  to  be  scorched 
and  flayed.  It  is  truly  a  terrible  responsibility. 

From  the  Boston  Transcript: 

We  have  tried  ‘bvatchful  waiting”  only  to  abandon  it  in  favor  of 
the  even  more  mischievous  policy  of  pouring  oil  on  the  flames  of  civil 
war.  Some  of  the  bullets  that  pierced  Benton’s  body  may  have  been 
supplied  to  Villa  from  this  country  in  consequence  of  the  raising  of 
the  embargo  on  arms.  To  ‘'watchful  waiting”  bloody  blundering 
has  succeeded. 

From  the  Boston  Herald: 

One  way  out  of  this  calamitous  course  remains — willi  honor. 


18 


THE  RED  BOOK 


There  is  still  a  chance  to  avert  war.  It  is  to  recognize  Huerta,  and 
further  than  that  to  strengthen  his  hand.  We  should  rerievr  the  em¬ 
bargo  on  arms  to  the  bandits. 

It  may  be  that  this  step  would  come  too  late,  that  our  policy  has 
so  weakened  Huerta  that  he  can  no  longer  restore  order.  But  he  de¬ 
serves  the  chance.  He  has  clearly  established  his  claim  as  de  facto 
ruler  of  IMexico.  And  until  we  have  given  him  the  opportunity  we 
are  not  justified  in  making  the  sacrifice  that  armed  intervention  would 
entail. 

From  the  IManchester  Union: 

Conditions  south  of  the  Rio  Grande  are  certainly  no  better,  and 
probably  worse  to-day  than  they  Avere  at  the  beginning  of  the  Wilson 
administration-and  Ideaven  knoAvs  they  Avere  bad  enough  then.  The 
policy  of  ‘Svatchful  Avaiting”  has  been,  to  put  it  brutally,  a  policy  of 
idleness. 

Huerta,  in  an  intervicAv,  declares  that  the  present  situation  in  Mex¬ 
ico  is  due  to  the  United  States,  and,  in  a  sense,  he  is  right. 

From  the  Burlington  Free  Press: 

Having  failed  to  recognize  the  established  government  in  the  capi¬ 
tal  of  Mexico,  and  thus  Avaived  the  right  to  hold  Huerta’s  administra¬ 
tion  responsible  for  the  protection  of  Americans  in  all  Mexican  ter¬ 
ritory,  the  Wilson  Administration  seems  to  have  made  the  further 
mistake  of  recognizing  in  effect  and  aiding  a  rebel  leader,  in  the  person 
of  Axilla,  even  more  bloodthirsty  than  Huerta  Avas  in  connection  with 
the  overthroAv  of  Aladero. 

Here,  too,  the  precedents  are  strongly  against  the  Wilson  Adminis¬ 
tration,  and  in  vieAV  of  Air.  AVilson’s  recent  utterances  in  defense  or 
palliation  of  Axilla,  Avho  has  killed  Americans  as  Avell  as  British  it  is  not 
strange  that  Dr.  Aloore  declined  to  alloAV  his  prestige  as  an  interna¬ 
tional  authority  to  suffer  further  from  the  smashing  of  precedents. 

If  President  AYilson  should  undertake  to  folloAV  the  intervention 
of  AAdiich  he  has  already  been  guilty  and  AA’hich  Avas  in  reality  an  act 
of  AA^ar,  by  sending  a  military  force  into  Alexican  territory  and  thus 
instituting  armed  inteiwention,  he  Avill  find  it  difficult  to  vindicate 
his  course  in  the  eyes  of  the  nations  as  Avell  as  of  the  American  people. 

From  the  Brooklyn  Eagle : 

The  policy  of  the  administration,  so  far  as  it  is  generally  under¬ 
stood,  contemplates  the  scheme  of  Alexico  Avorking  out  her  oavii  des¬ 
tiny  as  a  result  of  her  present  internal  Avarfare,  so  that  constitutional 
goATrnment  Avill  be  restored,  at  least  so  far  as  it  ever  existed  in  the  re¬ 
public  south  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Those  AAdio  adhere  to  this  policy, 
hoAA’e\"er,  say  frankly  they  see  no  hope  AA’hatever  that  Alexico,  through 
the  agency  of  ATlla,  Carranza,  Zapata,  or  any  of  the  other  revolution- 


THE  RED  BOOK  ' 


19 


ary  and  bandit  leaders,  can  restore  constitutional  government.  l\Iany 
of  them  admit  that  Huerta  might  have  done  so,  with  the  aid  of  the 
United  States;  or  at  least  might  have  succeeded  in  pacifying  Mexico, 
even  if  he  only  brought  about  a  restoration  of  the  practical  despotism 
that  existed  under  Porfirio  Diaz. 

From  the  St.  Johnsbury  Caledonian: 

Defeated  in  his  whole  programme  to  date.  President  Wilson  should 
adopt  another  and  recognize  the  Plnerta  government  in  Mexico  the 
same  as  he  recognized  the  new  revolutionay  government  in  Peru.  Such 
a  change  in  tactics  may  prevent  a  war  with  Mexico,  and  President 
Wilson,  if  he  desires  to  save  the  country  from  one  of  its  most  serious 
blunders,  will  make  it.  The  question  now  is  not,  is  Huerta  big  enough 
to  control  Mexico,  but  is  President  Wilson  big  enough  to  acknowledge 
his  mistake  and  save  his  country  from  the  terrible  misfortune  it  is  now 
facing? 

From  the  New  York  Mail': 

While  the  IVilson  Goverment  has  recognized  the  brutal  dictator¬ 
ship  of  Yuan  Shi-Kai  in  the  pretended  Chinese  Republic,  it  has  refused 
to  recognize  the  Huerta  Government  in  JMexico,  accepted  by  all  other 
important  nations,  and  has  plainly  encouraged  the  murderous  and 
looting  forces  of  the  rebels,  led  by  notorious  and  savage  bandits,  in  a 
hopeless  and  shameful  chaos  of  destruction  that  means  the  complete 
devastation  of  a  rich  and  neighboring  country  or  American  armed  in- 
teiwention. 

The  dignity  and  authority  of  the  United  States  as  the  protagonist 
of  the  American  republics  has  been  openly  insulted  and  mocked  in 
Mexico  by  the  grafters  of  the  South  and  the  cutthroats  of  the  North, 
and  our  national  prestige  in  Latin  America  has  been  seriously  damaged, 

INIeantime  the  Wilson  administration  has  made  the  United  States 
responsible  for  Mexican  conditions  that  mu.st  go  from  bad  to  worse 
until,  apparently,  the  horrors  and  losses  must  end  in  bloody  interven¬ 
tion. 

From  the  Sioux  City  Journal: 

The  weak  point  of  the  administration  has  been  found  in  its  fore¬ 
ign  policy.  The  Mexican  situation  has  proved  an  unworkable  puzzle. 
There  is  a  prevailing  impression  that  President  W^iLson  and  Secretary 
Bryan  have  not  made  the  most  of  their  opportunities  diplomatically. 

The  great  European  powers,  following  precedent  wdiich  repre¬ 
sents  demonstrated  expediency,  promptly  recognized  the  Huerta  Gov¬ 
ernment  as  the  de  ja.cto  Government.  Mr.  Bryan  at  once  took 
the  role  of  a  diplomatic  white  blackbird  when  he  refused  to  recognize 
that  government  or  even  to  deal  in  regular  form  with  it.  The  worst 
of  his  demand  that  General  Huerta  abdicate  was  not  its  grotesqueness. 


20 


THE  RED  BOOK 


It  virtually  invited  all  disaffected  rebel  and  bandit  elements  in  the 
north  and  elsewhere  to  assert  themselves.  It  crippled  the  Central  Gov¬ 
ernment  by  injuring  its  credit,  which  was  otherwise  sufficient  to  raise 
ample  funds  in  Europe.  When  bandit  forces,  thus  encouraged  and 
energized,  had  coalesced,  the  removal  of  the  embargo  furnished  them 
with  arms,  ammunition  and  supplies  of  all  kinds,  for  which  they  were 
able  to  raise  money  by  wholesale  confiscation  and  robbery. 

But  right  at  this  point  startling  outrages  force  upon  the  world  s 
attention  the  fact  that  the  rebel  government,  both  in  its  personnel  and 
in  its  methods  of  gaining  and  using  power,  is  incomparably  worse  than 
the  worst  that  has  been  imputed  to  the  Central  Government,  of  which 
General  Huerta  is  still  de  facto  head  after  a  year  of  rule.  Disavowing 
intervention,  we  have  thus  in  effect  intervened  against  the^  actually 
existent  Central  Government.  Thereby  we  have  paralyzed  its  power 
and  responsibility  in  northern  Mexico,  and  yet  no  tolerable  govern¬ 
mental  power  or  responsibility  has  been  substituted  for  it  there  with 
which  we  ourselves  and  other  civilized  nations  can  deal.  At  the  same 
time  neither  we  ourselves  step  in  nor  permit  other  nations  to  step  in 
to  vindicate  foreign  rights.  Mr.  Bryan  simpl}"  started  wrong  and  has 
been  going  wrong. 

From  the  Louisville  Courier- Journal: 

War  is  what  we  shall  get,  sooner  or  later,  for  the  folly  of  clinging 
to  the  Monroe  Doctrine  and  assuming  police  supervision  of  Latin 
America  in  behalf  of  Christendom.  President  Wilson  may  succeed 
in  avoiding  it  this  time,  but  war  we  shall  have,  sooner  or  later,  in  Mex¬ 
ico  or  elsewhere  in  Latin  America,  and  the  harvest  of  blood  and  tears 
will  have  been  earned  by  the  sowing  of  folly. 

Surely  Don  Quixote,  astride  of  Rozinante,  with  the  barber  s  bowl 
bn  his  head  for  a  helmet,  was  never  a  more  ridiculous  figure  than  that 
country  cuts  at  the  present  juncture. 

From  the  Hartford  Courant: 

By  the  simple  recognition  of  the  Huerta  Government,  which  under 
all  the  rules  and  practices  of  intelligent  diplomacy  is  fully  entitled  to 
recognition,  there  would  be  no  need  of  sending  any  American  army 
into  IMexico.  President  Wilson  is  not  so  stupid  as  not  to  see  this. 
President  Wilson  is  a  man  of  acute  and  most  alert  intelligence,  and 
he  is  not  above  learning  by  his  own  blunders,  as  is  shown  by  his  prompt¬ 
ness  in  giving  official  recognition  to  the  revolutionary  governments 
just  set  up  in  Peru  and  Hayti. 

But  he  is  morally  obstinate — obstinate  by  nature  and  obstinate 
by  years  of  autocratic  rule  in  the  schoolroom;  and  in  addition  to  this 
he  fears  that  his  prestige,  which  has  been  carefully  huilt  up  all  throiigh 
the  country  by  his  unlimited  newspaper  admirers,  would  be  impaired 
b}^  the  frank  confession  that  his  much-vaunted  Mexican  policy  has  been 
one  continuous  blunder  from  the  outset. 


THE  RED  BOOK 


21 


The  election  of  a  new  congress  in  November  of  this  year,  a  piece 
of  work  in  which  he  has  already  taken  the  directing  hand,  also  makes  it 
especially  inopportune, from  his  party  point  of  view,  to  admit  a  change  of 
mind  in  regard  to  our  relations  with  Mexico ;  yet  it  is  only  by  such  a 
change  of  mind  and  of  policy,  to  which  his  own  nature,  habits,  and 
special  political  interests  of  the  moment  are  strongly  opposed,  that  he 
can  really  and  truly  do  the  thing  that  is  required  in  order  to  keep  our 
troops  lint  of  INIexico. 

This  is  why  we  say  that  President  Wilson  needs  to  begin  all  over 
again  in  llio  tro.ilment  of  Mexico.  It  has  taken  him  a  long  time  Lo  find 
out  the  kind  of  man  with  whom  he  has  been  sympathizing  and  upon 
whom  lie  has  been  de])ending  for  the  political  regeneration  oi  that 
country.  Ide  violated  all  the  rules  and  usages  governing  such  matters  by 
undertaking  to  say  for  IMexico  what  kind  of  a  government  Mexico  should 
have,  and  his  undertaking  has  broken  down.  He  can  send  American 
troops  into  Mexico  or  he  can  give  due  recognition  to  the  existing  Huer¬ 
ta  government.  There  are  the  alternatives.  But  President  Wilson 
cannot  truly  be  said  to  be  ‘drying”  to  avert  armed  intervention  in  Mex¬ 
ico  unless  he  first  tries  the  old  and  reputable  and  peaceful  method  of 
recognizing  and  giving  the  moral  support  of  the  United  States  to  the 
de  facto  Government  of  that  country. 

From  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean: 

There  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  Mr.  Wilson’s  “watchful  wait- 
mg”  policy  has  proved  a  dismal  failure.  Good  intentions  remain  the 
only  excuse  for  this  refusal  to  accept  accomplished  facts  when  Madero 
fell. 

Mr.  Moore  wanted  Huerta  accepted  as  the  de  facto  ruler  of  Mexico 
not  because  he  approved  Huerta,  but  as  the  strongest  man  in  sight, 
and  on  the  ground  that  the  manner  in  which  Mexicans  see  fit  to  change 
their  rulers  is  none  of  our  business.  It  is,  perhaps,  still  possible  to 
take  that  course.  It  is  plain  that  Carranza  and  Villa  will  not  do. 
Huerta  may  be  a  poor  stick  from  idealistic  viewpoints,  but  what  more 
capable  Mexican  is  in  sight?  Mr.  Wilson  has  demanded  and  has  been 
given  a  free  hand.  His  dealing  with  IMexico  have  brought  the  country 
to  the  point  where  it  may  be  compelled,  against  its  will,  to  armed  inter¬ 
vention,  that  it  may  preserve  its  self-respect.  lias  President  Wilson 
the  moral  courage  to  change  his  policy  and  bring  the  nation  out  of  the 
difficult  and  dangerous  position  into  which  he  has  led  it? 

From  the  Detroit  Free  Press: 

The  nation  stands  on  the  brink  of  an  imbroglio  with  the  whole 
or  a  part  of  Mexico.  It  is  not  the  doing  of  the  American  people.  It 
is  the  result  of  a  wholly  unfeasible  policy,  persisted  in  against  all  logic — • 
a  policy  which  breaks  every  canon  of  tried  diplomacy  and  common 
sense.  The  nation  has  not  desired  war;  it  does  not  want  it  now.  If 
forced  into  a  conflict  it  will  make  the  fight  because  it  finds  itself  in  a 


22 


THE  RED  BOOK 


position  where  no  other  course  is  compatible  with  honor  and  self-respect 
and  duty  to  citizens  abroad. 

From  the  New  York  World:  ♦ 

Notwithstanding  our  strong  official  opposition  to  Huerta,  that  has 
prevented  him  from  obtaining  funds  or  augmenting  his  army,  and 
your  repeated  assertions  that  he  was  on  liis  last  legs,  he  seems  to  have 
proved  that  he  is  the  strongest  leader  in  Mexico  to-day,  and  that,  had 
he  been  granted  recognition  in  April  last,  his  country  would  have  been 
peaceful  long  since,  at  least  w'ould  have  been  free  from  the  armed 
bands  of  such  assassins  and  robbers  as  Villa,  Castillo,  Zapata,  and  others. 
I  do  not  mention  Carranza,  as  he  is  apparently  only  a  figurehead,  with 
sufficient  sense  to  keep  him  from  coming  in  contact  with  Villa. 

It  seems  to  me  plain  that  those  who  have  advocated  recognition 
for  Huerta  are  not  clamorous  for  war  as  you  intimate,  but  firmly  be¬ 
lieve  that  such  a  step  would  have  prevented  any  cause  for  intervention 
by  having  brought  peace  to  IMexico  and  saved  thousands  of  livQS  and 
millions  of  dollars’  worth  of  property.  Although  our  official  treat¬ 
ment  of  Huerta  has  been  suclnas  to  perfectly  warrant  him  in  ignoring 
completely  any  demands  or  requests  made  of  him,  he  has  invariably 
given  courteous  attention  to  all  representatives  from  our  unofficial 
cliarge  d’af fairs  and  acted  promptly  on  all  our  complaints. 

Kindly  note  this:  If  we  do  not  recognize  Huerta  and  assist  him 
in  bringing  his  country  out  of  anarchy  (though  very  late  for  such  a 
step  and  now  attended  with  much  greater  difficulties  than  at  an  earlier 
date,)  intervention  must  surely  take  place,  for  even  .should  we  willing¬ 
ly  continue  our  ‘‘hvatchful  waiting”  and  look  on  quietly  at  a  terrible 
state  of  affairs,  other  nations  Avill  not  agree  to  hold  aloof  for  a  much 
longer  period. 

Philadelphia  Public  Ledger: 

AVe  ought  to  reverse  our  action.  AVe  ought  to  redeem  our  obligation 
without  hesitation  or  quibble,  an  obligation  which  we  have  assumed, 
and  rightly  as,sumed,  but  in  the  fulfillment  of  which  we  have  been 
strangely  lacking.  It  makes  no  difference  whether  the  Administra¬ 
tion  Ava.s  right  or  wrong  when  its  Mexican  policy  was  adopted.  The 
large  thing  to  do  is  the  only  thing  we  can  afford  to  do,  and  largeness 
in  the  circumstances  consists  in  the  capacity  to  adopt  a  programme 
de  novo,  to  sweep  out  of  the  way  regard  for  petty  consistency,  to  acknow¬ 
ledge  whatever  errors  there  may  have  been  in  former  policy,  to  break 
the  shackles  of  accepted  precedent  and  move  untrammeled  toward  a 
complete  solution  of  the  problem. 

1  hat  is  the  largeness  which  the  nation  expects  of  the  President. 
Public  opinion  senses  the  imminent  peril  of  intervention  and  the  neces¬ 
sity  for  action.  It  does  not  presume  to  dictate  Avhat  policy  the  Admi¬ 
nistration  should  adopt,  although  the  recommendatory  attitude  of  the 
Pi  ess  is  almost  unanimously  in  favor  of  a  Pan-American  concert  but  it 


THE  RED  BOOK 


23 


does  insist  that  the  pilot  put  his  hands  to  the  wheel  and  give  positive 
direction  to  a  forward  movement,  that  the  fine  skill  which  has  guided 
the  process  of  the  mpeal  of  the  canal-tolls  exemption  be  excercised  now 
in  extricating  the  nation  from  the  lamentable  shallowness  of  purpose 
into  which  it  has  been  permitted  to  drift. 

In  letters  to  New  York  Her  aid: 

When  an  individual  realizes  he  has  made  a  mistake  he  will,  if 
he  is  big,  acknowledge  and  correct  it.  Should  not  a  nation  be  as  big 
as  an  individual? 

President  Wilson  has  withheld  recognition  from  the  only  govern¬ 
ment  that  exists  in  Mexico,  believing  the  forces  in  opposition  would  be 
able  to  accomplish  Huerta’s  early  overthrow,  and  that  in  these  forces 
lay  Mexico’s  best  hope  of  peace. 

Events  have  proved  the  policy  of  the  United  States  to  be  wrong. 
Huerta,  whose  government  is  just  as  constitutional  as  that  of  Peru, 
which  the  President  hastened  to  recognize,  has  lasted  for  more  than  a 
year.  The  “Constitutionalist”  cause  has  produced  nothing  better  than 
a  Axilla. 

Hasn’t  the  time  come  for  the  President  to  realize  and  rectify  his 
mistake,  not  in  the  interest  of  Huerta,  but  as  a  right  due  to  the  Amer¬ 
ican  people? 

Recognition  of  the  Huerta  government  seems  to  me  the  only  pos¬ 
sible  way  for  us  to  escape  the  armed  intervention  that  neither  the  Pres¬ 
ident  nor  anybody  else  in  this  country  wants. 

There  is  very  much  to  commend  in  President  Wilson’s  address  to 
Congress  yesterday.  Who  can  question  the  wisdom  of  this: 

“The  large  thing  to  do  is  the  only  thing  we  can  afford  to  do,  a 
voluntary  withdrawal  from  a  position  everywhere  questioned.” 

President  Wilson  may  well  ponder  these  words  from  his  own 
mouth.  They  apply  directl}^  and  forcefully  to  his  own  Mexican  policy. 

If  he  is  able  to  do  the  “large  thing”  and  voluntarily  withdraw 
from  his  mistaken  attitude,  which  is  responsible  for  all  our  troubles, 
this  nation  may  yet  see  a  “way  out”  from  its  unfortunate  Mexican 
entanglements.  I  fear  there  is  no  such  “way  out”  unless  the  President 
does  follow  the  excellent  advice  he  yesterday  gave  to  Congress. 

In  a  letter  to  the  New  York  Tribune: 

There  seem  to  be  but  two  alternatives — immediate  intervention  or 
immediate  recognition  of  Huerta,  far  preferably  the  latter.  The  world 
has  always  recognized  that  moral  courage  is  far  greater  than  physical 
courage.  Is  President  Wilson  great  enough  and  strong  enough  to  say 
to  Hueila:  “I  have  opposed  you  from  the  beginning  because  I  thought 
I  was  right  and  that  you  were  wrong.  I  now  realize  that  I  have  been 
wrong,  and  I  am  going  to  give  you  a  chance  to  prove  that  you  are  right 
and  can  bring  peace  to  Alexico.  I  am  therefore  willing  to  recognize 
your  government  with  the  understanding  that  you  will  bring  peace 


24 


THE  EED  BOOK 


to  your  country  within  the  next  three  months.  If  you  fail  to  accom¬ 
plish  this  1  shall  recommend  immediate  intervention  to  Congress.  The 
present  conditions  cannot  continue;  they  are  intolerable.”  If  AVoodrow 
Wilson  is  a  big  enough  man  to  do  this  our  people  and  the  nations  of 
the  world  will  acclaim  him  the  greatest  man  in  the  world.  I  can  see 
no  alternative. 

In  a  letter  to  the  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger: 

The  writer  during  his  vacation  in  the  past  summer  met  some  in¬ 
telligent  American  people  who  had  large  property  interests  in  Mexico, 
and  for  his  own  enlightenment  inquired  as  to  their  opinion  relative 
to  conditions  in  that  country. 

They  advised  him  that  they  thought  the  only  salvation  of  Mexico 
could  come  from  within,  and  that  Huerta,  backed  up  by  his  government, 
was  the  only  person  qualified  to  thorougly  police  the  place. 

That  the  only  bar  to  such  action  on  the  part  of  Huerta  was  the 
opposition  stand  taken  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 

That  this  Government  stood  alone  among  the  nations  in  its  Mex¬ 
ican  policy. 

That  recognition  by  this  country  of  the  Federal  Government  of 
Mexico  would  enable  the  latter  to  borrow,  probably  in  London,  pos¬ 
sibly  in  the  United  States,  all  the  funds  required  to  maintain  order, 
and  to  call  a  halt  to  the  acts  of  outrageous  brutality  now  being  com¬ 
mitted,  and  to  the  great  loss  of  property  belonging  to  American  and 
British  subjects  residing  in  jMexico. 

In  letters  to  the  New  York  Sun: 

If  our  President,  who  has  proved  himself  in  some  ways  in  this  first 
year  of  his  incumbency  a  very  great  President,  could  persuade  himself 
that  the  whole  world  is  not  in  the  wrong — that  he  is  like  the  Irishman 
who  informed  his  drill  sergeant  who  told  him  that  he  was  out  of  step, 
not  at  all,  that  he  was  in  step,  and  that  all  the  rast  of  the  company  were 
out  of  step ;  if  he  could  be  made  to  believe  that  he  and  his  friends 
may  possibly  be  wrong,  since  the  whole  world  of  Europe  and  America 
thinks  concerning  the  advisability  of  Huerta’s  recognition  exactly  the 
reverse  of  his  thinking;  if  he  could  come  out  frankly  and  answer  that 
upon  misinformation  furnished  him  at  the  outset  concerning  General 
Huerta’s  resources  and  personality  he  declined  to  recognize  him,  but 
that  now  he  perceives  his  mistake  and  will  recognize  him — then  the 
President  at  one  bound  would  become  the  most  popular  man  in  the 
United  States,  war  would  be  averted,  and  the  whole  problem  solved. 

It  is  the  belief  of  those  who  have  studied  the  situation  and  aie  on 
the  ground  that  Huerta,  if  as  well  backed  l)y  this  countrv  as  the  so- 
called  Constitutionalists  have  been,  would  make  good  in  short  ord^r 
and  restore  peace  and  j'U'osperity  to  distracted  Alexico. 

It  has  been  said  that  most  of  Alexico  is  against  Huerta.  This  is 
eiioneous.  If  this  were  true,  when  the  rebels  attack  a  town  they  shouh] 


THE  RED  BOOK 


25 


be  able  to  take  it  without  much  trouble,  since  the  inhabitants  of  same 
would  attack  the  Federals  from  the  rear.  Whenever  the  rebels,  or 
bandits,  assault  a  town,  the  inhabitants  join  in  the  defence  of  the  town. 
This  is  the  most  eloquent  proof  that  Mexico,  as  a  country,  is  in  favor 
of  President  Huerta. 

From  the  foregoing  it  can  be  seen  that  Huerta,  far  from  being  a 
traitor,  is  a  great  patriot,  that  he  is  the  de  facto  and  the  de  jure  Pres¬ 
ident  of  ]\Iexico,  and  that  the  Mexican  people  at  large  support  him 
heartily.  The  foreign  powers,  with  the  exception  of  this  country,  and 
may  be  one  or  two  of  minor  importance,  recognizing  these  incontro¬ 
vertible  facts,  have  recognized  Huerta  as  the  de  facto  and  the  de  jure 
Provisional  President  of  Mexico.  The  United  States  ought  to  follow 
suit  and  vindicate  herself  by  acknowledging  her  misconception  of  the 
facts.  This  acknowledgment  would  have  no  savor  of  humiliation,  for 
“to  err  is  human”  and  to  make  amends  is  manly  and  holy.  This  non¬ 
recognition  policy  on  the  part  of  the  Wilson  Adminisration  on  the  re¬ 
ported  ground  that  it  would  be  immoral  to  grant  recognition  is  tanta¬ 
mount  to  saying  that  all  the  other  governments  that  have  recognized 
Huerta  are  immoral,  which  would  be  a  reflection  on  all  the  civilized 
world. 

In  view  of  the  above  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  American  Govern¬ 
ment  will  come  to  the  conclusion  which  I  stated  above,  namely,  that 
it  has  misconceived  the  facts,  and  that  it  must  vindicate  itself  by  re¬ 
cognizing  the  Huerta  Administration  forthwith. 

From  the  London  Spectator: 

We  can  see  nothing  but  bitter  and  cruel  mortification  as  the  result 
of  Mr.  Wilson’s  policy  of  “watchful  waiting,”  while  that  policy  means 
watching  and  waiting  on  such  fiendish  villainies.  So  far  the  effects 
of  Mr.  Wilson’s  policy  have  been  the  very  nemesis  of  pacifism.  General 
Fluerta,  as  the  de  facto  ruler  of  Mexico,  at  least  had  a  better  chance 
than  any  one  else  of  producing  order.  But  that  was  not  enough  for 
Mr.  Wilson.  With  admirable  yet  fatal  motives,  he  looked  for  personal 
perfection  in  a  land  where  it  does  not  exist,  at  all  events  in  public  life. 

*  By  gradual  stages  he  has  been  driven  into  a  corner,  and  has  at  last 
come  to  the  point  of  recognizing  anarchy  in  preference  to  recognizing 
General  Huerta.  By  a  very  different  route  from  that  of  a  professed 
man  of  iron  and  blood,  he  has  arrived  for  all  practical  purposes  at  a 
purely  cynical  policy.  He  has  removed  the  prohibition  on  the  traffic 
in  arms  across  the  United  States  frontier,  and  now  looks  on  “watch¬ 
fully”  while  American  citizens  and  British  subjects  are  killed  and 
trains  are  sent  full  tilt  into  burning  tunnels.  This  terrible  state  of 
affairs  is  the  result  of  the  primary  error  of  supposing  that  you  can 
dictate  to  a  proud  and  independen  country,  and  at  the  same  time 
really  respect  its  independence.  “Things  are  what  they  are,  and  the 
consequences  Avill  be  what  they  will  be.  Why,  then  should  we  desire 
to  be  deeeived?”  The  alternatives  are  to  recognize  whatever  President 


26 


THE  RED  BOOK 


has  at  the  moment  climbed  to  power,  or  to  act  as  though  INIexico  were 
no  longer  an  independent  country.  One  or  the  other  it  must  be.  The 
latter  policy  has  always  meant  a  great  campain  and  a  military  occupa¬ 
tion,  although  JMr.  Wilson  has  steadily  refused  to  see  wdiat  he  did  not 
wish  to  believe. 

From  the  Economiste  Francaise  of  Paris: 

The  United  States  have  as  President  to-day  a  doctrinaire,  very 
eager  for  the  people’s  good.  Mr.  AVoodrow  AYilson  is  a  university 
professor  and  the  author  of  some  interesting  books.  Tie  consequently 
has  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  pertaining  to  a  life  long  devoted 
to  learning  and  teaching.  His  mentality  is  elevated,  but  rigidly  un- 
adaptive;  his  honesty  is  above  suspicion.  He  is,  however,  deficient  in 
experience.  He  considers  himself  called  upon  to  regenerate  the  public 
morals  not  only  of  tlie  United  States,  but  also  of  other  countries.  He 
says  lie  will  not  permit  Mexico  to  initiate  such  and  such  a  candidate 
for  the  presidency.  But  neither  IMexico  nor  the  nations  of  Europe  can 
possibly  submit  to  these  North  American  injunctions.  Mexico  is  an 
indejiendent  state,  and  it  is  desirable  she  should  remain  so. 

From  the  Novoyc  Vremya  of  St.  Peterburg: 

The  fact  that  all  European,  South  American  and  Asiatic  countries 
have  long  recognized  the  Government  of  Huerta  can  be  considered  as 
the  best  proof  that  Huerta  has  ably  conducted  the  governmental  affairs 
of  Mexico.  Only  the  United  Stales  lias  assumed  a  peculiar  position. 
AATiile  refusing  to  recognize  Huerta,  it  has  until  now  confined  itself 
to  the  energitic  support  of  the  rebels  concentrated  in  the  north  with 
money,  men,  and  ammunition.  The  Alessage  of  President  AVilson 
reveals  the  game  of  the  United  States.  It  not  only  demands  that  an 
armistice  should  be  concluded  with  the  revolutionists,  but  even  insists 
categorically  that  Huerta  should  not  be  a  candidate  for  president  in  the 
coming  election.  It  is  not  in  vain  that  the  AVestern  European  press 
permitted  themselves  to  express  the  supposition  that  the  United  States 
openly  take  the  side  of  JMexican  anarchy. 

From  the  Berliner  Tagehlatt: 

Every  Mexican  knows  very  well  that  the  policy  of  the  United 
States  in  regard  to  Mexican  affairs  aims  at  establishing  a  protectorate, 
more  or  less  disguised,  over  their  republic,  because  it  separates  the 
United  States  from  the  partially  subjugated  republics  situated  north  of 
Panama.  Huerta  is  not  a  particularly  attractive  individual,  but  it  is 
nevertheless  true  that  this  ^Tmm oral”  man  against  whom  the  ex-professor 
of  Princeton  contemplates  the  mobilization  of  an  army  is  exactly  the 
man  that  Alexico  at  this  juncture  needs.  He  would  have  establislied  the 
order  which  has  so  long  been  disturbed  if  he  had  been  pemittcd  to  do 
so.  The  dictator  is  lully, aware,  of.  the  ])oril  to  which  he  and  bis 
country  arc  exposed  trom  tlie  United  States.  He  has  merely  })ersis- 


THE  RED  BOOK 


27 


tently  faced  this  peril  without  paying  any  attention  to  the  clamor  that 
rises  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Tliat  he  has  so  far  snceed- 
ed  in  his  plans  to  a  certain  point  is  proved  by  the  check  administered 
to  the  tragicomic  mission  of  Lind.  ****  At  present  the  submission  of 
Huerta  is  a  thing  inconceivable.  It  appears  more  probable  that  he  will 
let  Uncle  Sam  bite  the  sour  fruit  of  failure. 

From  the  Boernsen  Courier  of  Berlin: 

The  sly  and  undecided  policy  of  the  United  States  has  made  x\mer- 
ican  diplomacy  the  laughing  stock  of  the  world.  The  Government 
at  Washington  is  aiming  in  an  underhand  way  at  stripping  Mexico  of 
her  political  independence,  but  above  all  at  establishing  in  that  country 
the  economic  supremacy  of  the  United  States.  If  that  Government 
had  desired  nothing  more  than  the  re-establishment  of  peace  it  would 
have  recognized  Huerta  long  ago. 

From  the  Imparcial  of  iMadrid: 

We  have  every  reason  for  distrusting  the  United  States.  We  have 
already  frequently  pointed  out  how  the  Northern  Republic  is  attempt¬ 
ing  to  take  Mexico  in  her  net. 

From  the  Prensa  of  Buenos  a4ires: 

All  that  Wilson  has  said  in  his  address  to  the  Congress  at  Wash¬ 
ington  has  merely  served  to  fortify  the  position  taken  by  Huerta.  The 
policy  of  Mr.  Wilson  has  only  one  tendency,  and  that  is  to  unite  the 
Latin-American  states,  in  spite  of  Uncle  Sam,  and  make  such  a  hostile 
federation  a  reality  instead  of  the  political  dream  which  it  has  hitherto 
been. 

From  the  Voz  de  Oriente  of  Lima: 

Far  from  mending,  the  situation  in  Mexico  is  growing  more  com¬ 
plicated  and  dangerous.  This  condition  of  things  results  in  a  large 
measure  from  the  attitude  of  the  Government  at  Wa.drington  in  refus¬ 
ing  to  recognize  Huerta,  while  Wilson  sympathizes  with  the  rebels  and 
even  gives  them  his  support.  This  is  the  cause  of  the  movement  among 
the  students  in  Mexico  City.  These  youngsters  have  made  a  grand  mani¬ 
festation  against  the  Yankees  before  the  palace  of  the  Governor  when 
they  carried  flags  bearing  the  inscription  ‘‘Death  to  the  Yankees”.  The 
irritation  exhibited  by  the  Mexicans  is  amply  justified. 

From  the  Prensa  of  Lima: 

The  President’s  declaration  that  he  could  not  recognize  Huerta’s 
Government  because  it  was  founded  on  treason  is  extremely  interesting. 
But  nothing  can  justify  the  interv^ention  of  one  state  in  the  affairs  of 
another.  At  least  there  ought  to  be  some  explanation  of  the  motive 
which  urges  North  America  to  favor,  by  opposing  Huerta,  the  interests 


28 


TPIE  RED  BOOK 


of  Carranza  insurgents  who  have  raised  the  ensign  of  an  independent 
Mexico. 

From  the  Revista  de  Yucatan  of  Merida: 

President  Wilson  and  his  Secretary  of  State  appear  each  to  be  one 
of  three  things.  Either  they  are  the  romanticists  of  diplomacy,  or  the 
ignoramuses  of  diplomacy,  or  the  hypocrites  of  diplomacy.  In  which¬ 
ever  of  these  characters  we  regard  them,  they  are  hurtful  to  the  country 
they  govern  and  to  the  nations  with  which  they  deal.  For  nothing 
can  be  more  pernicious  in  political  life  than  romanticism  which  en¬ 
genders  your  dreamers,  your  fanatics,  extravagant  theorists,  and  your 
Utopians  who  do  not  see  the  reality  of  things,  who  do  not  perceive  the 
world  in  which  they  live  and  attempt  to  go  beyond  the  law  of  nature. 
The  ignoramus  is  one  destitute  of  science  or  letters.  ****  The  hypocrite 
is  just  what  the  word  imports — he  is  a  man  who  blazons  abroad  as  his 
own  the  virtues  he  does  not  possess. 

From  El  Imparcial  (anti-Huerta)  of  Mexico: 

It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  the  Yankee  Government  is  authoriz¬ 
ing  the  sale  of  arms  to  the  bandits  of  Villa,  Avho  pillage,  burn,  and 
murder  throughout  the  country.  How  can  the  rulers  of  a  cultivated 
people  under  guidance  of  a  wilful  and  obstinate  leader,  suffer  them¬ 
selves  to  be  guilty  of  complicity  with  such  a  band  of  plunderers?  It 
once  appeared  impossible  that  President  Wilson  should  be  a  man  desti¬ 
tute  alike  of  conscience  and  a  sense  of  shame.  If  the  American  people 
approve  of  this  astounding  measure  taken  by  their  President,  they  will 
deserve  the  contempt  of  all  honorable  nations. 


From  the  Pais  (pro-Huerta)  of  Mexico: 

The  only  thing  which  President  AVilson  will  have  done  is  to  bring 
into  greater  prominence  the  personality  of  Huerta,  who,  thanks  to  the 
intrigues  of  the  North  Americans,  represents  to-day  upon  our  new 
continent  the  soul  of  the  Latin  race. 


Feeling  certain  that  you  are  convinced  that  I  am  not  alone  in 
my  opinions  after  reading  this  mass  of  editorials  and  also  that  Mr. 
AVilson  has  lost  that  generous  support  he  had  during  the  first  year  or 
more  ot  office  and  that  all  intelligent  thinking  men  and  women  now 
concede  that  his  foreign  policy  regarding  Alexico  was  a  blunder  from 
beginning  to  end  I  shall  continue: 

Alost  of  the  loyal  and  educated  class  of  Alexicans  have  been  driven 
from  their  country  and  their  properties  confiscated.  Those  still  re¬ 
maining  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  bandits. 

To  attempt  a  ])0])ular  election  m  Alexico  at  thi^  ti:vic  would  1)0  a 
farce.  There  never  has  been  a  popular  election  held  in  Alexico  in  il.s 
history. 


THE  RED  BOOK 


29 


To  attempt  to  establish  a  democratic  form  of  government  now  is  an 
impossibility. 

The  only  possible  form  of  government  in  Mexico  for  some  years 
to  come  is  a  benign  dictatorship  such  as  existed  mider  Gen.  Porfirio 
Diaz,  and  the  sooner  lh*esident  Wilson  convinces  himself  of  this  fact 
the  better  for  the  American  people. 

Mr.  Whlson  has  only  one  legitimate  move  to  make  at  this  time, 
that  is  wipe  his  Mexican  slate  clean,  forget  all  that  has  been  done,  and 
commence  all  over.  But  in  doing  so  he  must  forget  his  ideals  and  re¬ 
member  that  a  government  in  Mexico  according  to  his  ideas  is  at  this 
time  utterly  imi30ssible.  lie  must  at  once  withdraw  all  moral  or 
])hysical  support  from  the  criminal  element  represented  by  Caranza  and 
\hlla,  whom  he  knows  most  positively  are  neither  capable  nor  desirous 
of  restoring  peace ;  he  also  knows  they  will  continue  in  a  state  of  anarchy 
just  as  long  as  there  is  a  city,  home  or  ranch  to  be  looted  at  a  profit 
or  a  virtuous  woman  in  the  country ;  he  knows  he  will  not  be  allowed  to 
recognize  either  of  these  factions  even  if  they  did,  apparently,  restore 
peace,  either  by  his  own  people  or  other  nations,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
all  outrages  and  crimes  against  us  have  been  committed  by  the  forces 
under  their  control.  Neither  would  the  better  element  of  Mexicans 
accept  this.  If  Caranza  or  Villa  were  to  be  recognized  by  this  Govern¬ 
ment  it  would  be  the  signal  for  a  new  uprising,  as  the  Mexican  nation 
is  not  going  to  submit  to  Mr.  Wilson’s  forcing  upon  them  as  rulers 
either  of  these  men. 

W^ould  you  allow  Great  Britain  to  force  you  to  accept  the  negroes 
as  your  rulers?  You  say  no.  Then  how  can  you  expect  Mexico  to  do 
so?  The  comparison  is  all  in  favor  of  the  negro,  for  these  men  are  crimi¬ 
nals. 

There  is  only^  one  factor  in  this  question,  there  has  only  been  one — ■ 
W^oodrow  Wilson.  He  can  give  Mexico  peace  or  he  can  continue  the 
anarchy,  and  the  question  is  up  to  him. 

There  is  only  one  method  of  restoring  peace  and  establishing  a 
government  such  as  existed  before  in  INIexico,  and  that  method  is 
through  FORCE.  This  is  not  a  question  for  further  American 
interference;  it  is  one  which  must  be  settled  by  the  Mexicans  themselves, 
This  can  be  done  easily  and  quickly  if  IMr.  Whlson  complies  with  his 
sworn  duty  to  his  own  people  and  his  obligation  before  the  world.  His 
duty  is  to  withdraw  absolutely  from  the  postition  he  has  maintained 
to  date  withdrawing  all  support  from  Carranza  and  Villa  and  throwing 
down  the  bars  to  all  Mexicans. 

A  rich  country  with  a  population  of  sixteen  millions  of  people  is 
in  the  grip  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  of  bandits  who  got  con¬ 
trol  of  the  country  through  the  active  support  and  assistance  of  Presi¬ 
dent  W^ilson.  Owing  to  this  same  fact  the  l;etter  element  were  com¬ 
pelled  to  leave  the  country. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  allowed  his  proteges  two  years  almost  to  make  a 


30 


THE  RED  BOOK 


showing,  and  they  have,  a  record  written  in  blood.  The  better  element 
are  determined  to  get  back  to  their  country  and  drive  these  men  out, 
and  ]\lr.  AVilson  knows  it.  But  what  does  Mr.  Wilson  do?  Assist  these 
good  people  to  get  back  their  own?  No,  he  still  continues  to  support 
the  bandits  and  persecutes  the  better  element.  He  allows  Carranza  and 
Villa  to  buy  military  equipment  of  all  kinds  in  this  country,  but  just  as 
soon  as  any  of  the  decent  Mexicans  even  approach  the  borders  of  Slexico 
along  the  Bio  Grande  he  has  then  arrested  for  breach  of  neutrality.  Is 
it  not  ridiculous?  Breach  of  neutrality  with  a  country  without  a  sem¬ 
blance  of  a  government  and  who  have  proven  on  numerous  occasions 
that  they  were  anything  but  friendly. 

As  I  said,  arrested  on  a  trumped  up  charge,  bailed  out 
and  immediately  re-arrested  on  the  same  charge.  IMr. 
Wilson  is  .‘-imply  continuing  his  petty  persecution.  He  persecuted 
Huerta  while  President,  he  is  persecuting  him  now,  simply  because  he 
knows  that  Huerta  in  the  choice  of  his  people  as  well  as  the  foreigners 
residents  of  IMexico  and  that  his  people  are  rallying  about  him  and  de¬ 
manding  that  he  restore  to  them  their  country.  The  American  public 
must  see  the  injustice,  the  dishonor  to  themselves  through  these  tactics. 

If  Mr.  Wilson  declared  a  policy  of  neutrality  in  the  spirit  regarding 
IMexico  he  knows  that  a  strong  man  would  lead  the  decent  jDeople  to 
victory  in  IMexico  in  a  very  short  time. 

The  solution  of  the  problem  is  simple.  Allow  the  decent  people 
to  arm  themselves  with  the  same  freedom  you  do  the  bandits,  and  I  as¬ 
sure  you  that  a  strong,  capable  leader  will  spring  up  and  lead  them  to 
victory  and  restore  order  in  the  country  in  less  than  six  months.  Your 
alternative  is  to  continue  on  the  lines  you  have  followed  to  date  and 
eventually  send  your  soldiers  to  their  doom  through  your  obstinacy. 

I  claim  that  Mr.  Wilson  has  assumed  grave  moral  responsibility 
for  most  of  the  outrages  committed  in  Mexico  during  the  past  two 
years,  and  for  the  following  reasons: 

Eefusal  to  recognize  the  only  legal  executive  of  Mexico. 

Cutting  off  of  the  latter  from  money  and  arms  in  this  country  and 
the  cowardly  attempt  to  stop  the  shipment  on  the  Ypiranga. 

Declaration  of  personal  hostility  toward  Huerta  through  the  block¬ 
ading  of  Veracruz,  which  was  done  with  the  exclusive  object  of  cutting 
him  off  from  supplies  and  lowering  his  prestige  with  his  people. 

As  a  consequence  of  the  above  the  flocking  of  the  criminally  in¬ 
clined  to  the  .Mandards  of  Carranza  and  ATlla. 

The  supplying  of  arms  and  ammunition  to  the  two  last  named 
over  the  American  frontier  during  the  time  the  embargo  was  on  and 
later  the  raising  of  the  embargo. 

Through  this  active  support  from  the  American  government  Car¬ 
ranza  and  Villa  were  enabled  to  arm  the  criminal  element ;  that  through 
this  assistance  they  attained  power  sufficient  to  disarm  by  force  the 
civilians  of  the  country  thereby  placing  themselves  at  the  mercy  of 
those  in  poweir. 


THE  RED  BOOK 


31 


That  as  a  consequence  of  fnrnisliing  them  with  arms  and  ammuni¬ 
tion  as  well  as  moral  support  thousancls  of  murders  were  committed, 
women  ^dolated,  and  more  than  a  billion  dollars  worth  of  property 
destroyed. 

That  Mr.  Wilson  knew  from  the  beginning  the  characters  of  the 
men  with  whom  he  was  dealing,  thereby  making  him  responsible.  He 
could  not  help  knowing.  Every  newspaper  in  the  land  was  telling 
him.  Every  foreigner  from  IMexico  was  shouting  it.  It  was  public 
and  nototrions.  He  cannot  deny  that  he  knew  then  and  knows  bet¬ 
ter  now. 

If  160,000  anarchists  broke  loose  in  New  York  and  commenced 
the  wholesale  murder  of  peacable  citizens,  outraging  of  women,  burn¬ 
ing  and  looting  and  iNIr.  Wilson  ordered  out  the  militia  to  assist  the 
anarchists  as  against  the  decent  law  abiding  citizens  his  moral  re- 
sponsibilty  could  be  no  greater  than  it  now  is  in  Mexico. 

■'riie  title  of  this  article  should  be  the;  C.  C.  C’s,  and  I  get  it  from 
the  fact  that  I  believe  it  to  be  Cruel,  Cowardly,  Criminal,  to  supply  the 
Carranza- Villa  factions  with  arms  and  ammunition  which  we  positive¬ 
ly  know  are  to  be  dedicated  to  the  slaughter  of  unarmed  innocents  now 
and  at  a  later  date  to  be  turned  on  our  own  troops  if  our  present  policy 
is  pursued. 

You  all  know  that  Public  Opinion  in  this  great  country  is  what 
moves  the  man  in  the  chair.  If  I  have  made  a  case  and  you  believe 
the  worthy  Mexicans  deserve  a  chance,  to  say  nothing  of  your  seventy 
thousand  brothers  and  sisters  who  have  left  their  all  in  that  country,  I 
would  respectfully  request  that  you  petition  the  Representative  of 
your  respective  district  to  take  such  action  as  he  may  deem  prudent  to 
the  end  that  justice  may  be  done.  By  doing  so  you  will  be  assisting 
individual!}’'  and  collectively  every  decent  inhabitant  of  Mexico,  and  at 
the  same  time  avoiding  a  war  with  Mexico  which  may  cost  3mu  your 
own  life  or  that  of  a  son  or  brother. 

Are  you  going  to  stand  by  and  see  the  most  ruthless  band  of  cut¬ 
throats  ever  collected  in  the  history  of  the  world  continue  to  murder 
American  and  foreign  subjects,  violate  females,  destroy  property  and 
desecrate  the  churches  wuthout  a  protest?  If  you  agree  that  the  pre¬ 
sent  Administration  is  responsible  for  this  condition  I  beg  of  you  to 
lend  your  assistance  to  the  end  that  justice  may  be  done,  the  wrong 
righted  as  far  as  possible,  and  this  country  restored  to  the  position  of 
dignity  and  respect  that  w'e  previously  occupied  and  commanded  as 
a  nation  before  the  world 

On  the  first  day  of  your  second  year  of  office,  Mr.  Wilson,  you 
said  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States: 

‘Yhe  large  thing  to  do  is  the  only  thing  to  do — a  voluntary  with¬ 
drawal  from  a  position  everywhere  questioned  and  misunderstood. 
V\  G  ought  to  reverse  our  action  Avithout  raising  the  question  whether 


32 


THE  RED  BOOK 


we  were  right  or  wrong,  and  so  once  more  deserve  our  reputation  for 
generosity  and  the  redemption  of  every  obligation  without  quibble  or 
hesitation.” 

You  was  then  referring  to  your  Mexican  policy,  Mr.  Wilson. 

Will  you  reverse  your  action.  If  you  do  the  cowards  now  in  the 
fiield  will  take  to  the  high  timber  and  Mexico’s  atmosphere  will  soon 
clear  and  you  will  have  removed  a  truly  terrible  responsibility  from 
your  shoulders  with  respect  to  the  future. 

On  the  day  this  pamphlet  went  to  press  it  seems  that  this  govern¬ 
ment  has  decided  to  recognize  Carranza,  jf  this  is  done  it  will  be  the 
third  grave  error  committed  regarding  Mexico.  There  will  immediate¬ 
ly  be  uprisings  against  him  headed  by  his  own  officers.  And  how 
about  the  one  million  decent  Mexicans  who  have  been  driven  from  the 
country  by  him  and  whose  lives  would  be  the  forfeit  if  they  returned 
to  their  country  wdiile  he  was  in  office?  Do  you  think  they  could  ac¬ 
cept  this  solution?  They  must  be  taken  into  consideration  and  given 
a  voice  in  whatever  settlement  is  proposed.  As  yet  they  have  not  been 
considered,  on  the  contrary  have  been  persistently  discriminated  against 
by  our  government,  and  until  allowed  a  voice  in  the  matter  there  can 
be  no  solution  pointing  to  permanent  peace.  You  cannot  expatriate 
a  million  people  who  represent  the  legitimate  rulers  of  a  country  and 
expect  them  to  accept  it;  nor  will  they  accept  expatriation;  nor  will 
they  commit  suicide  by  returning  to  Mexico  while  Carranza  is  in  power, 
for  they  know  full  well  he  would  murder  them  in  spite  of  any  promises 
he  might  make  in  order  to  get  recognition.  He  does  not  know  the 
meaning  of  the  word  amnesty,  and  if  recoguized  it  will  mean  a  con¬ 
tinuance  of  the  policy  of  pouring  oil  on  the  flames  and  a  continuance 
of  anarchy. 


ARTESIAN  PFlvIT.  SAN  ANTONIO 


